Rise and shine with a local multi-family yard sale in Brookside this morning, running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 800-900 blocks of S. Tremaine Ave. The organizers say vintage items, housewares, bikes, clothing, toys and furniture are among the “tons of items available.”
Also starting this morning at 9:30, and running both Saturday and Sunday until 5 p.m. is the Natural History Museum’s Nature Fest.  Taking place in the museum’s Nature Gardens, where museum scientists do real research, the Museum promises there will be something for all wildlife lovers, “from hiking machines to nature newbies.”  Visitors can learn about energy savings, taxidermy, local bees, and L.A.’s most famous mountain lion, P-22 (originally discovered by a mammologist who’s now on the Museum staff).  Casey Schreiner, author of Day Hiking Los Angeles: City Parks, Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, will share his best tips on day hikes in the L.A. area.  And there will be a puppet show, coffee roasting demonstration, cooking demonstration and sampling, animal keeper chats, slug and insecet painting, other nature-themed crafts, an LADWP interactive Green House and Water Trailer, a National Park Service truck, and much more.  Admission is included with regular museum admission.
From the Natural History History Museum, it’s easy to jump on Metro and head to Union Station, which is a major activity hub for this year’s Bach in the Subways event.  Celebrating the 332nd birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach, there will be free pop-up musical performances all day, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, including a noontime organ recital, violinist Phillip Levey, the 60-person Aria Korean Choir, the 35-piece Los Angeles Recorder Orchestra, and the Noir Saxophone Quartet.  See the link above for the full schedule.  And more music is scheduled for the Glendale Amtrak Station and Universal City Metro Stop, too.
In the afternoon, it’s time for the monthly BARK (kids reading to dogs) event at the John C. Fremont library, 6121 Melrose Ave.  From 2-3 p.m. today, children can meet and read with ultra-gentle, highly trained therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers. The activity helps children  increase their reading skills and self-confidence.  (Note: all of the dogs are specially trained to work with children, and the owner is present at all times.) All ages are welcome, and the program is free of charge.
This evening, at 7 p.m., head over to the Craft and Folk Art Museum, for a literal House Party, where they will not only celebrate tiny houses, but give one away in a raffle. The house being given away is a tiny cabin constructed by Derek Deidricksen, host of HGTV’s Tiny House Builders, in the museum’s courtyard last month. The house is 15′ x 7′, portable and solar-powered, and has pet peek windows, a sleeping loft for one, and light fixtures supplied by The California Workshop. Artist Charlie Edmiston also painted an original mural on the cabin, with bright colors reflecting the bold and kinetic energy of Los Angeles. It’s perfect as an office, artist studio, or relax shack. (Or as a tiny, you know…house.)  The winner need not be present at the raffle, but will be responsible for transporting the house from the museum.
Finally tonight, if you’re looking for even more music, attend a performance of chamber music by the the Lyris Quartet (which includes Brookside resident Shalini Vijayan on violin), with harpist Alison Bjorkedal, at the Jack Rutberg Gallery, 357 N. La Brea.  The performance starts at 8 p.m., but doors open at 7 p.m. for wine courtesy of Casa Torelli Imports/Deluca Trattoria, and a chance to peruse the latest gallery exhibition, Surreal/Unreal, which includes more than 100 surrealist paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures from the 1930s to the present.
On Sunday, the biggest event – in the whole city – is, of course, the annual Los Angeles Marathon, which runs from downtown to the beach in Santa Monica mostly along Hollywood, Sunset, Santa Monica and San Vincente Boulevards. Â See the link above for time and route information, as well as street closures and closure times for specific locations along the route. (These are important not only for participants and spectators, but also anyone else who might need to approach or pass through those areas of town at any time on Sunday.)
Later on Sunday, after the marathon throngs have cleared, the American Cinematheque is saluting movie legend Charlton Heston with a double-feature of (the original) Planet of the Apes and Omega Man at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., when Marc Eliot will sign his book, “Charlton Heston: Hollywood’s Last Icon.” The movie starts at 5:30 p.m., with an introduction by Fraser Heston.
Finally, just a reminder that Metro closures for subway decking work near Fairfax and Wilshire resume this weekend.  Wilshire Blvd. will be closed from Fairfax to Spaulding from 8 p.m. last night (Friday) through 6 a.m. on Monday.  For full closure and detour information, see https://www.metro.net/projects/notices/notice_purpleline_020617/
Have a great weekend!
